1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved card holding, carrying and retaining system by which an individual can efficiently collect and mount cards such as a business card immediately upon receipt of the card during meetings, conventions, etc. and thereafter employ the mounting means to carry the card so that it will not be mutilated, misplaced or lost and thereafter upon return home or to his or her place of business immediately transfer the card to a retaining means such as a business card file box or a rotary file holder. The present invention further relates to a novel housing member for retaining the tray in which the retained cards are placed and further relates to a novel carrying member for retaining a series of card holding members for use during a business trip. The present invention also relates to business card retaining means which can be used in conjunction with conventional organizers and planners.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In general, card filing systems are well known in the prior art. Conventionally, a multiplicity of filing cards are placed in a filing card retaining means. Conventional filing card retaining means include a tray or a wheel in which the filing cards are place, such as those manufactured by Eldon or by Rolodex respectively. The tray card holder or rotary card holder includes one or more card holding means such as tracks, rails, cylindrical rods, etc. onto which the filing cards are movably inserted. The filing cards, in turn, having mating slots adjacent their lower edge by which the cards may be movably and removably inserted onto the tracks, rails, rods, etc of the card holding means.
When people attend a business meeting, a trade show or a convention, they frequently receive a large number of business cards from individuals with whom they may be negotiating a transaction or who they meet at a trade show or convention. Many times these individuals may be prospective customers or clients. The cards are frequently placed in a coat pocket or purse and may thereafter be wrinkled, torn, misplaced or lost. In addition, assuming the business cards are brought back to the office, they are frequently placed in a desk drawer where they are forgotten. Alternatively, if the newly acquired business cards are maintained in a safe place and are brought back to the office, the information from the cards must be transmitted to the filing card system. One alternative is to transcribe the information from the business card onto the filing card. In addition to taking extra time to do this work with each business card, information may be incorrectly transcribed, leading to greater problems and a waste of time in locating the correct information. In an alternative process, the business card may be somehow attached to the filing card such as by tape or staples. Since the business card is usually about the same height as the filing card and an allowance must be made for the slots by which the filing card is movably attached to the tracks in the card holder, the business card is often too tall for the card holder trays, thereby preventing the tray from being closed. It is therefore necessary to cut the business card so that it fits onto the filing card so that the tray can be closed while at the same time not interfering with the slots at the lower edge of the filing card. Since telephone numbers and/or addresses are frequently placed adjacent the top or bottom of the card, this information is cut off and therefore must be written onto the body of the card.
Some Rolodex type trays have a closing lid to prevent the cards from getting dirty. Others, are left exposed. In embodiments where the cards are inserted onto a carrying tray, the tray itself does not include an appropriately fitted housing member so that the cards may be stored and thereby reduce the likelihood that they will become soiled.
When a businessperson wishes to go on a business trip, it is necessary for him or her to copy down the address from the business card or alternatively remove the card from the card holding file and place it in his or her wallet or briefcase (or pocket book). If the individual is a salesperson and must make frequent calls to a large number of customers or potential customers, this becomes a significant chore. In addition, there is a significant risk that the cards may becomes lost or soiled.
Loose-leaf type business organizers and planners have become very popular. Business cards are not conveniently stored in such organizers and are merely fitted into a slot therein from which they can fall out or become creased or soiled.
Therefore, the card filing systems known in the prior art all suffer from the same defects. Business cards can be dirtied, torn, lost or mislaid when received and if they are brought back to the office intact, they must be physically modified before they can be placed onto the filing card or information must be taken from the business card and written onto the filing card. In open tray type card holders (which are the most convenient), the prior art systems provide no housing with a matched fitting to the tray to keep the cards safe and to prevent them from getting dirty or from be soiled (such as coffee being spilled on them). In addition, no prior art system provides an efficient method by which a selected number of the business cards can be removed and taken on a trip, which system at the same time assures that the business cards will be kept safely and be prearranged in a given selected order or other system.
Therefore, there is a significant need for a product which permits a business card to be immediately mounted upon receipt and thereafter safely carried so that it will not become disfigured or lost and which further permits the card to be immediately inserted onto the tracks of a card file without any further work involved.
There further exists a significant need for a system by which business cards can be efficiently mounted, collected and safely stored when received and thereafter instantly inserted into a card holder or tray upon the individual's return to the office without a need for modifying the card in any way or transcribing information from the business card onto the filing card.
There is also a significant need for a system by which cards mounted in an open tray can be protected through a protecting housing member when the cards and tray are not in use. There is also a need for a system by which a multiplicity of the protective housing members can be stacked or mounted on a wall unit, for more efficient use.
There is additionally a significant need for an organizing and carrying system to selectively carry a group of business cards on a trip in a specific safe and organized manner.
There is a further significant need for efficiently carrying business cards in a loose-leaf type business planner or organizer.